Dallke interviewed our own VP of Sales, Kevin Baumgart for his piece, and we identified 3 ways to attract and hold on to your tech talent.

1. Join the local tech community

The first thing you have to do is get the talent’s attention. Chances are, the local tech community (like BuiltinChicago and the Illinois Technology Association) will help you locate your next tech hire. Baumgart mentions that “Chicago’s tight-knit tech community is crucial for employers to find the right candidates.”

If the weekly networking events aren’t enough, most tech hubs have a job board where you can pay a nominal fee to post your jobs and source candidates.

2. Give them a piece of the company

When you have their attention, instead of offering them a Silicon Valley salary, offer them equity in your company. Baumgart told Chicago Inno that the key to retaining talent is to give a small percentage of the company to each employee after a certain period of time.

It helps to cement an employee’s place in the company and with the potential of a large payout if the company sees success, promises a monetary bonus.

3. Let them work remotely

If all else fails, and you are still threatening to lose your employees to the coast, let them work remotely.

Building a remote culture seems difficult, but providing projects that remote team members can collaborate and work on together will help start a unique culture. Baumgart suggests bringing in your remote workers once a quarter and conduct regular webcast meetings to keep everyone engaged.

Erin is the Director of Marketing, Crisis Controller and Culture Ambassador (the last two titles she gave to herself) who joined the Hireology team in April of 2012.
As a certified Inbound Marketer, Erin manages Hireology's marketing department, the Hireology Blog, and media relations.

She is also a co-leader of the Chicago Hubspot User Group which brings together Hubspot users from around the Chicagoland area.

Erin set off to Chicago after graduating from Western Michigan University. In her spare time she can be found shaking it in a Zumba class, reading a bestseller, or drinking a craft beer on her Wrigleyville porch.